Air cooling system for passenger railway cars



J. M. LE MIEUX 1,972,305

AIR COOLING SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER RAILWAY CARS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 4, 1934.

Filed May 7, 1950 INVENTOR.

BY W ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 4, 1934. J, M. LE MIEUX 1,972,305

AIR CQQLING SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER RAILWAY CARS Filed May 7, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet -2 INVJ'INTOR. J?) /7 n /7. Le fiioeux BY ATTORNEYS.

Sept. 4, 1934- J. M. LE MlEUX AIR COOLING SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER RAILWAY CARS Filed May 7, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVgZNTbR. Jo'hn M. Le Ml/Qbtfi' BY W ATTORNEYS.

p 1934- J. M. LE MIEUX AIR COOLING SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER RAILWAY CARS Filed. May '7, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 mN mN mgr.

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Patented Sept; 4, 1934 time orriea AIR COOLING SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER RAILWAY CARS John M. he Mieux, New ilirleans, La.

Application May 7, 1930, Serial No. fiilfidll 2 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigeration systems, and particularly to air cooling systems for passenger railway cars.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a normally car-driven refrigeration system in heat exchanging relation to a current of air also normally maintained flowing by motion of the car, and to provide for the distribution of the air so cooled.

Divergent objects of the invention are, on the one hand, to provide distribution of the cooled air from the bottom of the car upward, and on the other hand, f om the top of the car downward, the latter modification taking advantage of the convection tendency of cold air to descend.

A further. object of the invention relates to the conservation and storage of a portion of the cold produced during the active periods of the refrigerating system, and the cooling of the air thereby during inactive periods, that is to say when the car is not in motion.

Other objects of the invention relate to provisions foroperating the refrigerating system and maintaining the flow of air through the car, when l the car is standing still.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawings in which the same characters of reference are used throughout the several figures to designate identical parts:

Figure 1 is a broken elevation, partly in section of a passenger car furnished with an air cooling system according to my invention, the cooled air being supplied from the bottom of the car;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the refrigerating system; 1 Figure 3 is a perspective view of that part of the refrigeration system involved in the interchange of heat between the air and the expanding refrigerant;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of one of the collector heads; v

Figurefi is a vertical section through a modified form of air cooling stand-pipe-in which a body of brine is provided'as a source oflow temperature when the refrigeration system is not working;

Figure 6 is a broken elevation of a passenger car showing a modified form of my invention in which the cooled air is supplied from the top;

Figure 7 isa plan view of a portion of the refrigerating system;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the air circulation ducts with appurtenant refrigerating pipes,

in that form of the invention in which the cooled air is supplied from the top; and

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the expansion conduit.

Referring now in detail to the several figures and first adverting to that form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, a conventional passenger car is shown having arranged beneath the bottom thereof, a refrigeration system of a modified Rankine type comprising a compressor 1, preferably secured to the car frame 2, as partly shown in Figure 2, said compressor being driven by a belt 3 passing around the axle 4 of one of the car wheels and around a clutch pulley 5 associated with the shaft of the compressor. The liquid refrigerant is contained in a tank 6 andproceeds by way of an e'xpansiomvalve 7 into the expansion coil 8 where a very low temperature is produced through expansion of said liquid refrigerant.

The gaseous refrigerant, the result of this expansion, returns to the compressor from which it is forced through an oil separator 9 and through condenser coils 10 in which it is again liquefied and returned to the tank 6. A stand-pipe 12 is provided surrounding the coil 8 and communicating at its upper end with a collector head having louvers 11 open to the outside atmosphere, and so directed that the draft produced by the motion of the car will cause a current of air to flow through said collector head and down through said stand-pipe. Said air in its passage among the helices of the coil 8 is cooled to the desired temperature and passes through a horizontal conduit 15 from which it is distributed to the car at various points in the bottom thereof, through damper controlled gratings or screens 16.

' At times when the car may not be moving, or

at any time, to augment the natural draft, an electric fan 13 is provided for forcing the cooled air through the conduit 15. A dust screen 14 is preferably arranged in front of the fan. It is obvious that there may be as many collector heads 11 as desired, and also that'the gratings or screens 16 may be multiplied according to requirements.

When the car is standing still and the axle 4 is no longer capable of operating'the compressor, the lever 18 may be operated so as to throw out the clutch pulley 5 so that the compressor can be independently operated by an electric motor 19 driven from any suitable source of current.

Figure 5 shows that the stand-pipe 12 can be modified by having the coil 8 surround the same instead of extending through it, and the coil in turn may be surrounded by a casing 20. The annular chamber formed by the stand-pipe 12 and casing 20 may then serve as a brine chamber, in which the coil 8 is immersed.

When the device is in operation, the air flowing through the stand-pipe from the collector head 11 is chilled by coming intocontact with the wall of the-stand-pipe 12 which is cooled by contact with the brine. At the same time, the coil cools the brine so that in the event that the car comes to a standstill, and the compressor is no longer working, the cooling of the entering air is continued through heat exchange with the body of cold brine. Of course when the car is to remain stationary over long periods, the clutch pulley 5 and motor 19 are available for operating the compressor independently of the axle.

Referring now to Figures 6 and 9 inclusive, it will be observed that the elements of the refrigerating system beneath the body of the car remain the same, but that the stand-pipe 12 with its associated coil 8 and the conduit 15 with its distribution openings 16 are no longer present, but that in its place, the heat interchange is effected by means located at the roof of the car. Figure 8 especially shows collector heads 21 arranged on opposite sides of the car at the top and having louvers in the direction of normal movement of the car. Branch conduits 22 extend from the collector heads to a central trunk conduit 23. Air entering the collector heads from the opposite sides of the car flows through natural draft produced by the motion of the car, toward and through the conduit. The latter conduit is provided with cooling chambers 24 and 25, in which'are located coils 26 analogous in their function and relation to the passing flow of air, to the coil 8 shown in the first described modification. The central conduit 23 is also provided with a ceiling outlet 2'? and with lateral conduits 28 leading down the sides of the car on the inside and at appropriate points and provided with outlet openings 29.

It is of course, understood that there may be as many of the ceiling outlets 2'7 and of the lateral conduits 28 as may be desired, this being dependent largely upon the length of the car in which the refrigeration system is installed.

An electric fan 39 is shown which may function as the sole source of air flow during stationary periods of the car, or as an auxiliary to accelerate the flow induced by the natural draft in the collector heads. It is to be understood that there is a natural tendency of the air to flow in, due to the convection descent of the cooled air, through the ceiling outlets 27 and the lateral outlets 29..

This last described modification of my invention is particularly desirable, since it necessitates the erection of no obstruction in the passenger space of the railway car and may be entirely concealed on the inside of the car with the exception of the air outlets, by the construction of the roof.

While I have in the above description endeavored to disclose what I believe to be practical and preferred forms of my invention, it is to be understood that the details of construction are merely by way of example, and not to be limited in their bearing upon the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Air cooling system for passenger railway cars including a refrigerating system to which energy is imparted throughmovement of the car, and a conduit for conducting a natural draft produced air current to desired points of distribution in said car, said conduit including a trunk portion extending longitudinally adjacent the roof of said car, transverse portions adjacent its forward end, collector heads communicating with saidtransverse portions and louvers arranged to catch the natural draft exterior to said car, a ceiling outlet communicating with said trunk conduit, said refrigerating system having the evaporative element thereof in heat exchanging relationship to said air current within said trunk conduit at a point between said transverse portions and said ceiling outlet. I

2. Air cooling system for passenger railway cars including a refrigerating system, a trunk conduit arranged adjacent the roof of said car for conducting a natural draft produced air current to desired points of distribution within said car, transverse conduits communicating with said trunk conduit adjacent its forward end, collector heads communicating with said transverse conduits and having louvers arranged to catch the natural draft exterior to said car, lateral conduits having portions extending downwardly adjacent the car sides, said trunk and lateral conduits having distribution outlets, and said refrigerating system having the evaporative element thereof arranged in heat exchanging rela-' tionship to said air current within said trunk conduit.

JOHN M. LE MIEUX. 

